FIRST Lego League qualifying event coming to Columbus

November 13, 2008

FIRST Lego League qualifying event coming to Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ind. - Students ages 9-14 will put their engineering, building and computer programming skills to the test at the FIRST Lego League qualifying competition on Nov. 23.

Purdue College of Technology at Columbus is the host for the third annual event that will take place 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at Interstate 65 and Indiana 46 in Columbus.

Twenty-four teams from Richmond, Fishers, Indianapolis, Greenwood, Lawrenceburg, Columbus, Scottsburg, Taylorsville and Jasper will compete. The top eight teams will advance to the state tournament at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne on Dec. 13. Columbus is one of seven locations in Indiana holding qualifying events.

Students involved in the competition use Lego kits to build fully autonomous robots -- each about 1 foot tall and 6 inches wide -- capable of completing specific tasks. The robots are built using a kit equipped with Lego Mindstorms technology, which allows teams to program the robot to their specifications.

This year's theme is Climate Connections. Students must identify a climate problem in their area, analyze data about the problem and create an innovative solution based on the information gathered.

Teams will be judged in four categories: robot games, research presentations, design review presentation and teamwork. Awards will be given to the top three teams in each category, and overall awards will be given to the top three teams.

Joe Fuehne, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology at the College of Technology at Columbus, said the purpose of the competition is to teach students about teamwork as well as give them an early taste of engineering.

The FIRST Lego League is an alliance between FIRST, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, and the Lego Co. FIRST is an organization that designs programs to motivate young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering.

The Purdue College of Technology at Columbus offers bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering technology, computer and information technology, industrial technology, and organizational leadership and supervision. It is one of three educational institutions located at the Columbus Learning Center. Also at the center are Ivy Tech and Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus. The institutions share space at the center but are governed by three separate organizational entities.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Sources: Angela McKinney, lead student services coordinator, (812) 314-8528, amckinne@purdue.edu

Joe Fuehne, (812) 348-7203, jfuehne@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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